Half of Scotland is owned by 500 people. Scotland has the most inequitable land ownership in the west. Why? | UK news | The Observer
Or on the level of an actual person.... Last October, on a farm near Edinburgh, the body of Andrew Riddell, a tenant farmer, was discovered. He and his family had worked on the farm for more than 100 years and then, one day, he was given notice to quit by his landlord, Alastair Salvesen, billionaire and Scotland's third-richest man. The notice followed a year-long legal case which finally found in favour of Salvesen. The judge ruled that the protections Riddell thought he had in the tenancy arrangement were trumped by the landlord's rights under the European Convention on Human Rights. He killed himself after collecting his final harvest.
He probably died from exhaustion, the poor fucker. You seem very anti-rich... Communism is a nice idea but it doesn't work. Go with the flow baby. Or move to North Korea.
unfortunately your " flow " is taking us all down the plug hole !! capitalism may be a nice idea for some, but it does not work for most
Ah come on, its not so bad. I've been to several shit holes the world over and often thank my lucky stars I was born and raised in the UK. Phew!!
I do have some sympathy with this viewpoint. The reality though is that there is more money than before the 2008 crash due to QE, new money created out of thin air and underwritten by the taxpayer, meanwhile those at the top will take their commissions and fees. This is fantastic for the population of Eigg, but it is hardly a model that will work for the people of Glasgow. Excellent, I agree. We could round them up and chop their heads off.
It deserves to be on X Factor as it is a record full of populist pap stuck in a groove which appeals to the lowest common denominator. Did you notice how Russell Brand started off on QT quite aggressively then wound his neck right in, apart from the occasional snipe from the sidelines, that is because he realised that if he continued in his original manner he was going to get absolutely slaughtered by people of considerably greater intelligence than himself. He isn't entirely stupid.
Have you not noticed that those on the right side, in both senses of the phrase, in this discussion have conceded that no, the present lot are not doing a wonderful job and yes, we do need to reform this capitalist system which is leaving behind too many people. Only you seem to be stuck in a timewarp and wish to return to a failed socialist utopia that never was.
It isn't capitalism that's taking us down the plughole but corporatism with the connivance of blind, deaf and unrepresentative centralised governments comprised of career politicians. Capitalism, like democracy is a force for good and works best when devolved downwards and spread as widely as possible. The fact that both free market enterprise and democratic government have become monopolised and misused by a small and over-mighty group of self-interested people is not a good reason for abolishing either principle. Shooting the sheep to punish the wolf is no solution because then we all starve.
I am not advocating Communism. I am suggesting that society would be better off by allowing small to medium sized business compete with multi nationals on a level playing field. It's not right that people who work hard lose put to the lines of Amazon, Starbucks etcetera. They have a detrimental effect on our high streets. Even big companies like HMV are gone due to amazon. I used to enjoy mooching through the vinyl section there. Then I would make sure the very wealthy can't take advantage of tax avoidance schemes. Jimmy Carr, Gary Barlow, footballers. If I have to give the tax man 40% those dodgers can too. I am not anti rich, I do very well for myself financially, and would happily pay more tax if Scotland were independent. Got many friends who feel the same. Wouldn't give Westminster a penny more though, they just waste it on crap like wars, trident, HS2, cross rail 2 etc. why the fluck do I want to pay for that? Sort out the scammers then properly care for the disabled, the ex servicemen, the sick etc remove the scar on society that is food banks
Fair do's. I agree with most of this. Apart from the 'happily pay more tax' bit. Tax is a luxury for those who can afford it. Only kiddin....
Even if you taxed the "rich" at punitive levels the bulk of the tax would still come from those in the middle, then the rich would go somewhere else and we would really be in the shit.
An easy and poor argument, which is used to justify why Peter Green or whatever his name is of Debenhams fame pays less tax than a cleaner in his store. Maybe if we taxed those super-rich at an approriate level, or closed their businesses if they want to piss off somewhere else, and let another fill that gap in the market. For me, that is capitalism targeting greed and encouraging wealth for all
honestly mate,, what nonsense you talk,, if you think we have nothing to thank comunisim for then I suggest you cast your mind back to perhaps the greatest threat there was to so called " freedom" in the last 100 years,, WW2,, ( without getting into the much more involved question of who actually created that conflict and for why ),,, the Russians beat the capitalist friend , Natzis , in both the European field before your other friend , America , came charging in , flags a flying and bugles a blowing to sweep up the remains of a defeated german army, while in the pacific the same " septic tanks " dropped their weapon of mass destruction on the people of japan just before Russia was about to sweep in from Manchuria and also end that conflict...
It is an easy argument to make because it is true. However I have never used it as an argument for anyone not paying fair taxes, which of course depends upon your definition of fair, and in my book anything over 50% is not fair. If you mean Sir Philip Nigel Ross Green Chairman of the Arcadia Group, a retail giant that includes Topshop, Topman, BHS, Wallis, Evans, Burton, Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins and Outfit then he should be paying his fair share and I believe there are moves afoot to make him and others like him do so. But have you and yours every bought anything from those shops ? If you have then I don't see how you can complain.
What means I cant complain? Becuase the guy at the very top rapes the system, sticks all his money via his missus in monaco and pays zip? Sure, the group will pay taxes, but I bet his employees pay as a whole far far more than his group does regradless of margins. and dont syart on PE businesses which are nothing but legal ponsey schemes. All designed for a very few to make a very lot from the average person how about this. No dividends for directors. None. All pay via salary amd subject to the same rules I am. Tell me how that is stifling business, unfair to the leaders or isnt still working to the same competitve aims?
